Modification of the radiosensitivity of human cells to which simian virus 40 T-antigen was transfected.

Effects of the introduction of the Simian virus 40 T-antigen (SV40 T-Ag) gene to cultured human cells were examined in relation to radiosensitivity. Two relatively radioresistant tumor cell lines (T98 and G361) became significantly radiosensitive after the introduction of SV40 T-Ag, whereas radiosensitive tumor cell lines did not show a change in radiosensitivity. In contrast, a human fibroblast cell line became radioresistant after SV40 T-Ag introduction. T98 cells which have a mutation at codon 237 in the p53 gene were unable to form a complex between p53 protein and SV40 T-Ag, whereas G361, which became radiosensitive by a SV40 T-Ag introduction, formed the complex. This indicates that the status of p53 is independent of the change in radiosensitivity in the cell lines studied.